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Little if any I'm thinking... You've got an organisation that is old and proud that has not been upfront with it's members i.e. Master Plumbers - who have shares and at least partial ownership of three training companies - how are they ever going to be impartial in any argument about the benefits of the current CPD regime when they want to feed off the profits. So while hailing the benefits of having an upskilled industry they are leaning around to your back pocket and helping themselves to your wallet. Is this why there is a rift between MP and certain suppliers? Suppliers who won't allow MP to solely deliver their upskilling becasue they want to make it free for all plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers?
We have suppliers working against their customers - lobbying the minister for compulsory upskilling (some of which was done at MP behest) - and working against us, their customers - the people who pay good money for their products and then have to PAY for the privilege of listening to them market their products under the guise of an upskilling programme. Some add insult to injury by teaching you how to do stuff a first year apprentice can do.
On top of this we have a Minister who is like the "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" monkey - who will not front, and when he does recycles the same rhetoric that all he can do is hire and fire the PGDB members - which is has been doing as a nauseating speed - all with little effect. Oh, let's not forget the mighty Output agreement he has with the Board which they, and the Minister (along with their chums at Master Plumbers) think they are making great progress on. (Contd next post)
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And then at the bottom of the food pile we have the good old practitioners who are the ones paying for all of this - either by way of fees and levies or by taxes. We have a PGDB claiming charitable status (along with an ITO who also has their nose in the trough). Apprentice fees are skyrocketing, the quality of some of the training around the country is questionable and no one listens...
The Federation has been a shining light - at least it treats every member the same - it is not able to be "brought" by suppliers wanting to become business partners, or make large donations, it doesn't seek a damn thing from any member other than support and feedback. It follows the letter of the law and wants the PGDB to follow it too. The Minister seems to think this is not really important - and if you don't believe me read Hansard and see what he says at the outcome of the RRC hearing being tabled in the house - the fact that the MP and several suppliers (only two of which I have been able to corroborate) lobbied him. These people apparently represented a huge amount of industry, but last time I looked the numbers of Federation members and the number of Master Plumber members was less than 50 apart. How can one claim to represent 60% of industry?
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Finally - just so this post doesn't end on a negative - I think we all need to get in behind the Petition for a Commission of Enquiry into this industry as soon as it comes off the presses. I think this call should go across the barriers - it shouldn't matter if we are Master Plumber members, Federation Members, Certifiers, Licensed, Trainees or just interested in this industry. Your families should sign it, your neighbours, your friends, your staff, their families, neighbours and friends - let's get the signatures and present it on the steps of Parliament to let Government know, once and for all, it's time to have fairness, equality and transparency in this industry, it's time to stop raping and pillaging practitioners, it's time to have a transparent training regime, a transparent system for charging and some common sense when it comes to requirements for licensing and discipline. Maybe it's time to do away with the PGDB all together - or maybe it's time they were restructured. Maybe it's time the Minister stopped hiding and actually fronted - and stopped wafting his output agreement like it was the sword of Joan of Arc - and maybe, just maybe it's time that pigs flew...
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Hi Jax you are absolutely right and we all need to get behind this petition and push and maybe even make it a protest on Parliament's steps to bring it to the media attention just to ensure that they can't just ignore us or bury there heads in the sand and hope we go away.
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hi guys/jax, you are right,who is running this petition. I like the bit about `Joan of Arc` we all know what hppened to her, i bet hazel armstrong did`nt realize that the `output agreement` with the minister was her getting replaced on the board,cheers
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Hi jax
I love reading your posts now as you seem to have realised that the master plumbers are not really doing us the industry any favours they like to make us feel that they have our backs but unfortunately we can't trust them,don't get me wrong they done some good things but probley not for many years
So my call to all mp members is to push your areas to talk to the federation and work together for the betterment of all the plumbers
As we all need to work together so come on mps let arrange protests asaP as this is election year and these members of parliment need to be made to understand our plight JD
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JD - at a local level you couldn't get a better bunch of guys as Master Plumber colleagues. I carefully separate my atittude to my local association from the politicking at head office level. MP does do a lot for its members - but politically I do not agree with the stance they have taken on a number of things. I am ashamed that Paul Gee was left in the cold by this organisation - I am shocked that MP owns CPD Ltd and its generaly membership I believe have no idea - I am also shocked that MP has lobbied suppliers to lobby the Minister around CPD and the RRC - and that they cannot see that flashed up sales courses for suppliers is not true upskilling. The average MP member probably disassociates themselves from the head office goings on and just gets about his business, talks to his local colleagues who are usually to be counted on 100% and feels powerless about the high cost of running his business in regards to anything the PGDB do.
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A united industry is closer than we think, thanks to Wal, Allan, Paul, Colleen and to a lesser degree, other members ( including me )of the Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers Federation which has exposed the illegalities of the PGDB.
If the PGDB worked for the industry instead of policing it and worked within the law, there would be no need for the Federation.
The PGDB was under extreme pressure to prove they controlled the industry and set out to make an example of someone. That someone was Paul Gee.
The PGDB grossly underestimated the PGDFederation and, in particular Wal's determination to expose the truth.
Much effort has been put in by many of us to force the PGDB to work within the law, with the industry and to be transparent.
The Board is being forced into a corner and sooner rather than later, they will have no choice but to come clean.
All thanks to the Federation.
Kind regards,
Barry Forman Plumber & Drainlayer.
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hi guys/barry, i hope you are right. `The PGDB was under extreme pressure to prove they controlled the industry` where did this pressure come from and why? they should be held responsible and exposed,cheers
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Pressure came from Williamson MP who publicly backed Hazel and the board in parliament. Williamson realised he, like you and I, was being lied to by certain pgdb members. Three of whom no longer exist.
I believe Williamson is finally realising exactly what's going on with the board and being a politician is only interested in covering his own arse.
Unrelenting pressure from the Federation is continuing to expose the board and anyone that approves of their activities.
By axeing three board members, Williamson appears to be alienating himself from the board to look clean when the shit hits the fan.
The truth is slowly but surely being exposed. Cheers, Barry.
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hi guys, yes Barry Minister Williamson only announced in parliment recently that he had an output agreement with Hazel Armstrong, then in the next breath he replaced her,cheers
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I just found out that the person who has been sent to check and snoop on my work ( after my story went public just one customer asked for his job to be checked as he worked away), has the same name as the now MP association Secretary for Nelson who is an ex national president and the president that took over after my association presidency, surely it can't be the same person, as the master plumber's rules state that a member can't criticise another member's work let alone inform/spy on another member at the request of the Board. ::)what a snake in the grass if it is him ;).
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Impartiality is not a word that appears to be understood, believe me I been there Jax, I got the tee shirt........... and the bloody photos, its laughable when you go through it all, thinking of writting a book about my experiences, thinking of calling it..... COWBOYS AND IDIOTS, What do you think, a best seller ;), ITS A BLACK COMEDY :P
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Hi Guys.
I had papers served on me by the pgdb because I wrote to them saying I'd chosen a reputable charity to pay my exhorbitant fees to. This was after I'd asked them to work within the law and stop being a bunch of dictatorial, arrogant bastards. Their response to this was a call from one of their consultants telling me the pgdb wanted him to do a competency revue of my business which they are entitled to do under section 53 of the act. Needless to say, I went running to Wal for advice. I am now sniping at them legally ie. paid my license fees.
Keep fighting for honesty and transparency from the pgdb or our industry will be flushed down the loo. Kind regards, Barry.
ps. If any of you are shareholders of NZPM Group, I am a nominee for director and would value your vote.
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hi guys, this is from the Nelson Mail. The former boss of embattled Takaka plumber and gasfitter Paul Gee has been found guilty of faulty work practices on a number of properties in the Nelson region, which placed public safety at "significant risk".
Mr Gee said yesterday he was "fuming" but not surprised that his former boss John Darnley was found to have broken industry laws, but it proves he was right in trying to warn the industry of wrongdoing. He was not sure if it bodes well for his appeal against two industry charges of which he too was found guilty.
The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board said in a decision issued yesterday that it had found that Mr Darnley breached the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act (1976) when he carried out gasfitting work on four properties in the Nelson area between 2003 and 2005.
He was found to have caused a "significant health and safety risk to the public" in relation to work carried out on the four properties and has been fined $1800 and ordered to pay $8780 in costs.
Mr Darnley, who now lives in Waikanae, said he was appealing the decision which he described as "completely ridiculous".
You can read it all in the Nelson Mail on the net:
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Thanks for posting that Robbo - I've just read the full story in the Nelson Mail. Certainly worth a read... and such a shame that Paul's concerns weren't acted on sooner.
I'm pleased to see Nick Smith still supporting him.
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darnley this scumbag should be made to pay for his crimes
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Master plumbers use to tell tell us they represent the entire industry( even though only 5% can vote) then along came Wal and they dropped there claim to 90% of the industry they didn't realise that Wal had some friends and a plan and one year after the federation was formed ,the maaaaster plumberrrs release a press statement fair welling there installed master plumber from the board whilst reminding us the they represent 60% of the industry .
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1106/S00943/master-plumbers-says-new-board-members-have-challenges-ahead.htm (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1106/S00943/master-plumbers-says-new-board-members-have-challenges-ahead.htm)
http://www.btob.co.nz/article/master-plumbers-says-new-board-members-have-challenges-ahead (http://www.btob.co.nz/article/master-plumbers-says-new-board-members-have-challenges-ahead)
Bring on the day they tell the truth 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% 5% the Master Fivepercenter !!!!! ha ha ha f**** them .
BTW have increased my payments to the federation by 60 %
Bye BYE Mark Whitehead & Hazel Armstrong Your time with the board will soon be forgotten .